Iron Papercuts - A Collection of GaLe Fanfictions
by Katsprite2
Summary: Iron Papercuts is a story collection following the (non-canonical) adventures of Gajeel Redfox and Levy McGarden. Follow the pair as they go on quests, participate in Guild events, and find out their true feelings toward each other. Disclaimer:(although on a fanfiction site this should be obvious) I do not own Fairy Tail. All characters belong to Hiro Mashima, creator of Fairy Tail
1. Chapter 1: Wolves

Chapter One: Wolves

Levy

"Hmm..?" Levy McGarden woke with a start as she heard a noise from outside her apartment. The clock on her nightstand read 2:24 AM.  
Levy jumped as she heard the noise again. She inched out of her bed and pulled on a hoodie, determined to go investigate. Unlocking the deadbolt on the door, she opened it and the usual squeak of the door introduced the chilly night breeze that seemed to pierce her to the core. She stepped outside and closed the door behind her, looking around anxiously.  
 _Bang!_ Levy let out a yelp as for the third time that night the noise was heard again. Creeping towards the source of the noise, Levy was shaking—and not just from the cold. She regretted that she didn't bring a flashlight but she barely had time to process the idea of going back for one when _BANG!_ the sound came from right in front of her. Not able to see a foot in front of her, Levy stuck out a hand—then quickly withdrew it when the metal thing she touched scorched her palm. She sighed with relief.

"Just the radiator." She whispered to herself. Of course it was—it was cold outside and the metal would obviously be warping from the difference of temperatures. Her fear was merely foolishness.

Levy laughed at herself and headed back towards her front door. She reached for the doorknob but instead of it turning like what was expected, it stayed firmly in place. She had forgotten to unlock the handle lock. Panicking, Levy looked around for a key, but of course there weren't any to be found. She knocked on the door fruitlessly only to remember that she lived alone.

"I'm too tired." She told herself. "I'll try and get in tomorrow. Maybe Lu-chan will let me crash at her place tonight." Levy started walking the way she was so accustomed to, as she visited her friend, Lucy, all the time.

It seemed like it could have been hours since Levy left her locked front door and headed towards Lucy's, even though it was a mere twenty-five minutes. She was so tired. She leaned up against the wall of a building and rested for a minute. Two minutes. Three.

She slumped down the wall thinking that she might just stay here for the night, cold as it was. She couldn't take another step. Sitting, she pulled her legs up into her hoodie, which was miraculously warm from repelling the exertion-caused body-heat back at her. Though this warmed her torso, it did nothing for her face, which was tinged pink from the cold. After a few moments of uncomfortable exhaustion, Levy fell asleep on the sidewalk, leaned up against the hard, metal building.

Gajeel

The iron dragonslayer yawned as he traipsed home. It had been a long time since he'd been out as late as this. He stumbled out of tiredness, recovered, and glanced around furtively to make sure nobody saw. The cold air was silent around him. He finally arrived on his doorstep. Gajeel Redfox pulled his key from his pocket and jammed it into the lock. With a twist and a push, his door... didn't open.

He jiggled the key in the lock a bit more. Nothing. "Damn door!" He yelled with enough gusto to wake a dragon as he kicked it in. This time it opened for him. Ooh... he was sure that left a dent in the wall behind it.

Gajeel took a deep breath to calm himself down and prevent himself from wrecking anything else. Wait... was that...? He was sure he smelled something familiar.

He repeated the deep breath, but this time with a different purpose. It smelled like a person... but also a lot like paper... books. Also a hint of something sweet. That was definitely a scent he recognized. He sniffed around, nostrils flared and eyes closed to help him focus. It was close, very close. He rounded the corner of his house and opened his eyes. A bundle of fabric. What was that doing here. He stepped towards it, and he could've sworn it moved. A person!  
"Oi," he spoke up gruffly. "You okay there?"  
The person twitched, then let out a screech. "G-Gajeel?"  
He recognized that voice. The one that went perfectly with her scent, though it sounded... off.  
"Levy?" As the bleary-eyed form moved, Gajeel was positive it was her. "What are you doing asleep on the ground? It's three-AM."  
The small, blue haired girl looked up at him, blinking rapidly. "I was on my way to Lucy's..." Levy started, "But what are you doing here?"  
Surprised, Gajeel looked at her, thinking that the poor thing must really be out of it. "Sorry to inform you," He said, gruffly, "But this ain't Lucy's house, it's mine."

Levy's questioning stare greeted this comment. "I know this isn't Lucy's house. I couldn't make it all the w—wait! This is your house?!" And she was on her feet in a split second.  
Gajeel grinned at her shock. "'Course. Why d'you think the walls are made of metal?" Knocking his fist against the iron building to prove his point. "Anyway, why were you headed to your friend's house at this hour, Shrimp?"

The miniature figure of the girl curled into a defensive position as she said "Um... I uh... I got locked out of my house."

Gajeel snorted. "How the hell did you manage that?!" He queried, amusement heavy in his tone.

"None of your business!" Was Levy's snappy retort. Gajeel watched as she took a wobbly step away from him, commitment showing on all features of her face.  
"Oi, where do you think you're going?" He said to her, holding out an arm as a barrier. It was obvious the Shrimp couldn't make it all the way to her friend's house without collapsing. "How 'bout this: I have a couch you can crash on. You can stay at my place 'til morning." A faint tinge of pink dusted Gajeel's cheeks as he said this. He wasn't blushing, dammit, he wasn't.

Levy

Levy was shocked. _Gajeel_ offering her to stay at _his_ house? It was so out of character for him. Levy had always viewed him as the fearsome iron dragonslayer, incapable of showing any emotion other than rage.  
"N-no, it's fine." Levy's stuttering was half caused from shock, half from drowsiness, "I'm going to Lu-chan's."  
"That's another two miles from here." The dragonslayer stated in a monotone. Levy knew he was thinking that she wouldn't make it.  
"I can do it." she said, although she wasn't exactly sure of that herself.  
The hulking form of Gajeel scoffed, "Sure." His voice was disbelieving.  
Pouting, Levy weighed her options. On one hand, she was really tired and a soft place to sleep would be heavenly. On the other, however, she didn't fancy spending the night with Gajeel.  
Gajeel leaned against the side of the building, obviously impatient.  
"Fine." Levy sighed resignedly. The prospect of a soft couch had won over finishing the trek to Lucy's.  
Gajeel's usual wolfish grin spread over his face as he said, "Well come on in, the door's open." He walked around the corner of his house without a backwards glance to Levy, expecting her to follow.  
She did, but she paused at the door frame. Gajeel, who was already inside, turned to look at her.  
"Well what are you waiting for?" He chided, "The house ain't gonna eat you."  
Levy stepped in. She had nothing to worry about, right? She was just going to stay at Gajeel's until morning and then she would find a way to unlock her door. Right.  
Gajeel turned toward her with something pink and fluffy in his arms. "I swear if you ask where I got this... I dunno I just have it, okay?" He placed the blanket on the couch.  
It was Levy's turn to laugh, a giggle escaping her lips. She laughed harder when she picked up the blanket and found that it was even fluffier than it looked. Gajeel crossed his arms with a huff and Levy stored this bit of information away to tease him about later.  
She looked up at Gajeel, her eyes soft. "Thank you." 

Gajeel blinked. "Uh... yeah. Any time." Levy swore she saw a pink hue on his olive cheeks as he turned and muttered a quick goodnight. "I'm goin' to bed, if you need somethin' just wake me. Oh and the bathroom's the first door on the left." He left through a door that was obviously his bedroom.  
Levy stared after him for a moment. What an odd person. Then she sat down on the couch, taking off her shoes, and pulled the fluffy pink blanket over herself. It was really warm and she was so tired... Soon she drifted off into sleep.

Gajeel

Gajeel quickly changed and flopped onto his bed. He was asleep before the seconds hand on the clock had made a full revolution.

Levy

She was running through the woods, the sounds of snarling and snapping jaws coming close from behind her, but in fear of tripping she didn't look back. Suddenly, one of the creatures grabbed hold of her ankle, it's cold, sharp teeth digging into her flesh. She let out a shriek that pierced the night air around her.

Falling to the ground, she was able to see huge silver paws circling her, making a sound akin to that of a blacksmith sharpening his blade as these same metal toes scraped across the hard ground. She turned to face upwards, causing the glimmering wolves to snarl more. The largest one pressed a paw on top of her with enough force to shatter her rib cage and opened his jaws, full of large iron teeth that were sharp as swords, lowering them towards her neck.  
Levy woke with a start, the pink blanket still surrounding her. "Just a dream," She reassured herself. She tried to settle back onto the couch but the image of those iron wolves kept prowling about her mind. Gasping, she thought she saw the glimmer of a long snout in the darkness, but it didn't move towards her. She shook herself mentally, remembering she was at Gajeel's house—the house of the iron dragonslayer—of course there was going to be metal lying here and there. But in this dark, she couldn't calm herself. Fearfully, she called out a small "Gajeel?"  
Something moved near the wall, signifying that Gajeel had responded. Levy wondered if he was just a light sleeper (which she doubted) or if she had actually screamed and woken him up. Either way he had been standing there for at least a bit before she called for him.  
"Levy? What's wrong? Are you okay?" His voice was worried.  
Levy knew that even though it was dark, Gajeel's dragonslayer eyes would easily spot her own wide ones. "Y-yeah, I'm fine." She said, although obviously not as she pulled the blanket up to her eyes and was shaking. "Hey, Gajeel?"  
"What is it, Shrimp?" His voice was extremely gentle compared to the tough guy act he put on around others.  
"Do you have a candle... or a small light of some sort?" Levy asked. She didn't think she'd be able to fall back asleep in the looming darkness. Especially not with wolves about.  
"No." Gajeel answered. Levy suspected it was because of aforementioned eyesight that he had no need for such items. "What happened?"  
"N-nothing happened!" Levy retorted, a bit too defensively to sound truthful. She glanced at the clock. 4:30 AM precisely. Crossing her arms, she said, "You can go back to bed." Convinced she would get no more than an hour and a half of sleep that night, Levy was planning to just stay up until dawn. 

Gajeel

Gajeel could tell that Levy wasn't 'fine' as she said she was. She had woken up at past four in the morning after screaming, she was shaking, and she was asking for a light. She was _not_ 'fine.'  
He sat down on the couch beside her, "I'm not leaving until you tell me what's wrong."  
Levy pouted. "It was just a dream. As I said: nothing happened."  
Gajeel looked at the girl. "So, a nightmare." He concluded. The girl nodded.  
"You planning on going back to sleep?" the dragonslayer asked her.  
"Maybe. If..." Levy's voice trailed off as she shook her head.  
"If?" Gajeel asked, having no idea what she was going to say.  
"If you stayed here." The blush on Levy's face was apparent. After a second she added, "N-not that you need to. Go ahead and go if you want."  
Gajeel grinned, "I ain't going anywhere, this is _my_ house after all." He made no move to stand.  
Levy curled back up and for several moments there was silence. Gajeel was almost asleep when Levy's voice asked, "Are you still there?"  
"Mhm." He said, too tired to answer properly.  
"Um..." Levy said, "Is it okay if I do this? Just so I know you haven't left." Levy's hand found his arm and worked it's way down until she left it, holding onto his hand.  
Gajeel felt his face heat up but he made no attempt to hide the blush. Levy, with her normal eyesight, wouldn't be able to see anyway. "Sure, that's fine."  
After a few minutes of silence, Gajeel whispered, "You awake, Shrimp?" And upon receiving no response he took that to mean no. Carefully so as not to wake her, he turned his own hand to hold Levy's. Thinking about just how tiny she was, he drifted off into sleep. 

Levy

Levy was still asleep by the time Gajeel's alarm went off in the morning. She had slept peacefully once the dragonslayer had sat next to her. The wolves hadn't come back.


	2. Chapter 2: Red and Blue

Chapter Two: Red and Blue

Levy

The first thing Levy McGarden heard after telling Gajeel not to hurt himself was the inevitable crash of the chair he had been leaning back on two legs. She had expected this. What she had not expected, however, was for Gajeel to remain lying on the floor after falling. And she definitely did not expect to see a thick, red liquid spilling from his side.  
"Gajeel, are you—"Her eyes went wide as she rushed from her kitchen sink where she was washing her hands to the floor, kneeling next to him. Gajeel's hands were covering his side. Through his fingers there was a slow drip of blood onto the floor.

Gajeel

A numbness was spreading through Gajeel's body—one that shouldn't be there. It felt like freezing fire... or burning ice. Gajeel had only noticed the bleeding when he felt the heat of the liquid rolling down his side. Why was it doing this?  
Gajeel had been leaning back in the chair in Levy's kitchen, examining a knife he had found. His hands had slipped and the knife had sliced just under his left ribcage. Usually, a small cut like this wouldn't be bleeding so much. Then again, usually, Gajeel would have felt at least a sting.  
"Gajeel," Levy's panicked voice quavered as she said, "Move your hands."  
The iron dragonslayer looked at her as he did so. Levy quickly replaced his hands with her own, staining them red in the process. A pain ripped through Gajeel's chest—not from the knife wound, but from the amount of emotion in Levy's face as she hurriedly conjured up some solid script bandages.  
The small girl started wrapping the bandages around Gajeel's middle but couldn't lift his back. He noticed there were tears in Levy's eyes as she asked him to lift his back. He strained to do so, managing it in the end yet it was a lot harder than it should have been.

Levy

 _No knife wound should make Gajeel this weak._ Levy thought this as she wrapped the bandages around his arched back. What worried her most, though, was the greenish substance forming around Gajeel's cut. _It must... It must be poisoned._ Tears streamed down Levy's cheeks as she came to the conclusion.  
Wendy. That's who Gajeel needed. Who _Levy_ needed. But she couldn't possibly leave to go get her with Gajeel like this. Not knowing what else to do, she knelt beside Gajeel, distraught. The dragonslayer met her gaze with hazy eyes.  
"It'll be fine." He reassured her. Levy watched him as her tears fell to the floor, hoping beyond hope that was true.  
Suddenly, there was a knock at Levy's newly-put-up door (Gajeel had kicked it in the morning after Levy had told him she was locked out). Levy rushed to it without a second thought and yanked it open, the new hinges holding well.  
"Hi Lev—" The girl with long blonde hair and a short side ponytail gaped as she say Levy's appearance.  
"Lucy! Thank God!" It was everything Levy could do not to yell, "Go get Wendy, please!"  
Lucy stood there in shock, "Levy, you're covered in blood!"  
"Just go!" Levy screeched, "Quickly!" Levy watched as Lucy turned and started running in the direction of the guild.

Gajeel

Gajeel lay motionless on the floor, other than the movement of his eyes to follow her motions. He was too tired, too heavy to move anything else. He heard what she shouted, but it was too much of an effort to figure out what it meant. When she reentered the room, he focused his eyes on her face. He couldn't let himself drift off to sleep like he wanted to. He couldn't remember why, exactly, but he knew that for her sake, he couldn't.  
He watched as Levy sat back beside him. She had tears running down her cheeks. Why was she crying? She didn't get hurt did she? Was this all because she was worried about him?  
Gajeel felt the comforting warmth of Levy's hand as she placed it over his. Still watching her, he turned his hand to hold hers. For some reason the tears in Levy's eyes grew in number.  
"It's going to be okay." Levy said, her voice breaking. Gajeel tried to speak but he couldn't. Instead he squeezed her hand in recognition. His bandages were soaked through but his breathing was still even.

There was a knocking sound and Levy bolted to her feet. Gajeel wanted to reach out to her, to make her stay, but he couldn't. All he could do was watch as she left the room.

Levy

As quick as she could, Levy opened the door. She let out a relieved sigh as she saw a small girl with long blue hair, accompanied by a smaller, winged white cat.  
"Levy, are you okay?! Lucy said you needed me—and you're soaked in blood!" Wendy looked her over, trying to find out where she was hurt.  
"Not, me," Levy said, grabbing Wendy by the wrist and leading her into the kitchen to the injured Gajeel, not caring when they knocked over several stacks of books. "Please help him!" She pleaded.  
Wendy stared at Gajeel's bloody figure then knelt beside him, casting a healing spell.  
Levy watched with bated breath, her tears an unstopping waterfall flowing down her cheeks.  
She knotted her hands in her hair, waiting for Wendy to finish. When at last she sat up straight, Wendy looked very tired. "That's all I can do, Levy." the small girl squeaked, "He should be fully healed by tomorrow."  
"You shouldn't even have done that much," protested Carla, Wendy's Exceed, "You used up too much of your power."  
"But I wanted to help!" argued Wendy.  
Levy looked at the both of them, then just at Wendy. "Thank you so much."  
Wendy nodded, "Of course."  
After the exchange of a few more words, Wendy and Carla left, leaving Levy to sit back next to Gajeel.  
Levy watched as the dragonslayer placed a hand over his bandages. She could tell that he was no longer bleeding. She sat, cross-legged with her hands in her lap, just watching Gajeel. Her eyes were miraculously dry, but there were prominent tear tracks down her cheeks.  
Silently, Gajeel sat up, supporting himself with one arm. With the other he placed around Levy's shoulders and pulled her against his chest. Levy was shocked, but she didn't protest. Rather, she relaxed into Gajeel's grip. She buried her face in his chest, as she did so noticing that he was shaking. She placed her arms around his shoulders in an attempt to calm, all the while her mind screaming at her _What are you doing? That's Gajeel!_ But she didn't care. It felt good.

Gajeel's grip loosened and Levy sat up straight. She let out a small laugh, saying, "I told you not to hurt yourself."  
"Yeah, well..." Gajeel grunted.  
"Anyway," Levy interrupted, not needing an excuse, "Are you okay now?"  
Gajeel nodded, then looked down. Levy discovered the reason when she saw a tear running down his cheek.  
After a few more moments of silence, Levy stood to wash the blood off of her hands, tossing the disregarded knife in the trash bin on her way.

* * *

A/N: Thank you for reading! We really appreciate all of you wonderful people. After two uploads in one day, Kat and I have come up with an update schedule. We'll be adding a new chapter every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, giving us the weekends off and a day in between in case schoolwork gets in the way.  
So this chapter was a little random/morbid/suspenseful. The next chapter is going to be a lot more laid back (I promise). Until Monday, PEACE~


	3. Chapter 3: A Game

Chapter Three: A Game

Levy

Levy McGarden stood at the sink, washing Gajeel's blood off of her hands. The run of water muted the sound of Gajeel's footsteps. So the preoccupied Levy didn't hear him approach.  
"Oi, you okay?" she heard Gajeel ask from behind her.  
Levy jumped at his voice from so close. "Huh? Oh, yeah I'm fine... why?"  
"Just wondering," Gajeel replied, a hint of his usual grin returning to his features.  
Levy cocked her head in confusion, but she _was_ happy that he was starting to act like his normal self.  
Gajeel looked to the side. "Sorry 'bout that... whole thing," he apologized.  
Levy turned toward him. "You have nothing to apologize for." she protested.  
Gajeel shrugged, "If you say so."  
"Really," Levy added, "It's not your fault that knife was poisoned."  
"Well maybe not," Gajeel conceded, "But it's my fault for worrying you."  
Levy's eyes softened at his consideration and she blushed slightly. She tried to cover it up by rolling her eyes and saying, "You _always_ worry me, Gajeel."  
The dragonslayer grinned. "Oh so I worry you when I do this?" He reached out and wrapped his arms gently around her in a proper hug.  
Levy blushed more. "Yeah, this isn't how you usually act. But..." she paused, "But I like it." That last part was significantly quieter than the beginning of the sentence, but still audible.

Gajeel

Gajeel Redfox grinned as he felt Levy's arms wrap around him to reciprocate the embrace. After a couple seconds, he loosened his grip on her, and she stepped back to look at him. He remained silent for a few seconds, looking back at her. He then proceeded to suddenly break the silence by saying, "So anyways, what now?"  
Levy's eyes drifted to the dark stain on his shirt. "You're in no state to go anywhere at the moment, so that's out."  
"Mh," Gajeel grunted his agreement grudgingly.  
"You should sit down, too." Levy was silent for a second then she said, "We could play a game... or watch a movie... or" she added hopefully, "read?"  
"You got any good movies or games?" Gajeel asked, completely ignoring the last option she proposed.  
"Hm..." Levy thought, "Well... I have an idea."  
"You do?" Gajeel asked as he looked at her. "What is it?"  
Levy stood as tall as she could and kissed his cheek. Drawing back, she looked away.  
Gajeel blinked, then turned to look at her with his eyes wide. "What...?"  
The small girl bit her lip, still looking away, and muttered a faint, "Your turn."  
What did she mean by saying that it was his turn? Did she want him to kiss her too...? Gajeel bent to her level and gently put a hand under her chin, turning her face so he could look at her. When she only seemed curious, and not opposed to his actions, Gajeel closed the distance between them and pressed his lips against hers.

Levy

Levy closed her eyes as she felt the warmth of Gajeel's lips against hers contrasting with the cold of his metal studs against her chin. He pulled away after a second or two and she could feel his eyes scanning her anxiously for her reaction. Levy smiled at him. She couldn't remember how long she had wanted him to do that. Gajeel grinned back happily at her. He didn't seem quite sure what to do next, so Levy took initiative.  
"My turn again," she whispered, and pulled him closer.

Gajeel

Gajeel's heart skipped a beat, though he'd never admit it. He did nothing to stop her. Levy brought her lips to touch his for a second time, closing her eyes as she did so. Gajeel closed his eyes too this time, and pressed back. He felt her arms settle over his shoulders and he wrapped his arms around her waist in return.  
Levy moved her head back, ending the kiss but leaving her arms around him.  
Gajeel grinned and straightened up to a level that was more comfortable for him, keeping his arms around her. Now that he'd stood up taller, Levy wasn't completely blocking his view of the window. Something moving caught his gaze. It was long and blue with a white tip, and it was waving back and forth from behind the window. Levy must have noticed something was off, because when he looked back at her, she had her eyes fixated on the window too.  
"Is that...?" Gajeel wondered out loud. It sure looked familiar.  
Levy finished his sentence, "Happy?"  
The tail froze, then disappeared below their line of sight. Gajeel let go of Levy and leaped to open the window.  
"Oi, Cat!" Gajeel yelled in annoyance. "What are you doing here?"

Levy

Happy offered no explanation, he merely said in a singsong voice, "I knew it! I'm gonna go tell the guild that you guys finally got together!"  
Gajeel's face contorted in an odd combination of embarrassment and anger. He opened his mouth to say something but he was cut off by Levy.  
"Wait, what do you mean 'finally?'" Levy asked. That one bit had caught her attention. Of course Lucy had said once or twice that she and Gajeel would be cute together, but was it really that obvious that she liked him?  
"I mean that you guys have both been beating around the bush for a long time!" the blue cat voiced in a tone to match his name.  
Levy gave a quiet squeak and Happy managed to escape. As he flew away he shouted that he was going to tell everyone. Levy sighed.  
"I'm gonna kill 'im," Gajeel growled angrily.  
"We should probably go to the guild." Levy said, "It'd likely be less trouble to be there while he is, than to put it off and have everyone bombarding us at once."  
Gajeel grumbled his agreement and followed along with her as they exited the house. Levy walked along the sidewalk towards the guild. _Too much walking,_ she thought. As an added bonus, Gajeel seemed to have forgotten that a normal pace for him was a jogging pace for her. By the time they were at the guild, Levy was out of breath from keeping up with Gajeel.

Gajeel

Gajeel stomped through the door without sparing a backwards glance towards Levy. It wasn't that he didn't care, it just didn't occur to him. Lots of things didn't occur to him. Levy followed, ready to hide in case people started attacking them with questions. The dragonslayer stared around the room. Naturally eyes were turned towards them, they were towards anyone who entered. He glared at them all suspiciously. Every giggle in the background felt like it was directed towards him. He stalked around the full tables, headed for his usual seat in the land of the Back Corner and the town of Don't-Come-Near-Me-I-Bite.

Levy

Levy looked around, less embarrassed than Gajeel but still slightly pink. Her eyes searched for Lucy but didn't find her. Levy glanced over at Gajeel then went to the bar to ask Mira for a drink.  
"Hello Mira!" Levy said to the snowy haired barmaid. "Could I have my usual?"  
Mira turned towards the voice. When she saw who it was, she offered a sweet smile. "Sure!" she chimed. With practiced ease, she prepared a drink and set it in front of the short girl. "So," she began as she gathered a few nearby glasses onto a tray, "Is what Happy said true?"  
Levy took the drink with a resigned sigh. "What all did he say?"  
"Oh not too much," Mira practically sang. "He was just saying that you and Mr. Grumpy over there finally got together!" Mira lifted the tray she held up a bit higher as she offered a smile. Not her usual airy smile, the kind of smile that clued people in as to what she was truly capable of.  
Levy laughed at Mira's name calling. "Well if that's all he said then I'll verify that it's true. If he said anything else you'd tell me, right?"  
Mira nodded, "You're right, I would tell you. So I'll also say that he said he flew in on you kissing."  
"That's not exactly true." Said Levy, watching Mira's face fall. She paused, savoring in the payback she got, even if it was indirect. Then with a smile she explained, "He didn't fly in on us, he was just kind of watching from outside my kitchen window."  
Mira's face brightened right back up at that comment.  
"So you did kiss?" She pried, completely disregarding how stalkerish Happy had been.  
"Yes, Mira," laughed Levy, blushing.  
Mira couldn't help but to fangirl squee and set the tray down so she could clasp her hands in front of her. Levy rolled her eyes, embarrassed. Mira patted Levy on the shoulder, still giddy, before picking up her tray and continuing her work.  
Levy gave a smile as she picked up her drink and stood to go over to Gajeel. The iron dragonslayer hadn't seemed to have heard any of Mira's and Levy's conversation. Levy didn't think he'd even been looking their way.  
She took a seat next to him and sipped her drink. Mira had mixed it perfectly. Gajeel looked over at the tiny girl next to him, and remained silent.  
"What's up?" Levy asked.  
"Nothin'," Gajeel answered, stoic. Levy could tell that he didn't want to be here any longer than necessary, so she finished her drink quickly.  
"Shall we leave?" She asked to Gajeel. Gajeel nodded his agreement quickly.  
Levy stood, the height difference between now and when she was sitting barely noticeable. Gajeel led the way back through the still-crowded tables towards the exit. Levy followed close behind, careful not to be blocked off be the crowd.

Gajeel

The iron dragonslayer finally made it out the exit. He walked for a little bit, then remembered to glance back to make sure Levy had made it out of the guild hall too. He was a lot bigger than her and still had to push several people out of the way. Levy was several steps behind him and gaining in distance as her stride was so much smaller than his. Gajeel didn't pause, but he did slow almost unnoticeably.  
Levy caught up to him finally, then started walking funnily, jumping between every step.  
"What are you doing?" Gajeel inquired in amusement.  
"Trying. To keep. Up with you." The shrimp huffed in between hops.  
"Do you want me to slow down?" Gajeel offered and Levy nodded.  
The dragonslayer slowed his pace to the point where she only had to speed-walk to keep up with him.

Gajeel felt a small, warm hand slip into his and his eyes snapped over to Levy. She was looking straight ahead, a slight pink tingeing her cheeks. The thought crossed Gajeels mind that she was damn adorable like that. The fact that he thought that only embarrassed him more, and he tried to shake the idea away.

Levy

Although she would have understood if he had, Levy was pleased that Gajeel didn't withdraw his hand. A smile crossed her already flushed face. The pair paused at an intersection and Gajeel spoke up.  
"D'you want me to walk you home or something?" Levy nodded.  
"Okay," Gajeel said as he turned towards her house.

The pair reached Levy's front door and she slipped her hand out of Gajeel's. He started to turn away but Levy spoke, causing him to pause.  
"Before you leave... do you want to continue our game?" She asked.  
"Sure," Gajeel responded, a large grin spreading across his face. "Where were we?"  
"I think it was your turn." Levy smiled and Gajeel leaned in closer.

* * *

A/N: There we go! Didn't I promise this chapter would be more laid back? Well I hope you liked it (Thanks for reading! We really appreciate it!).  
Ahahaha I was worried we wouldn't have this chapter up by the end of the day as was promised. I was super busy this morning but luckily, Kat was able to write it while I was gone. Our next update is Wednesday with Chapter Four: Paint Wars. See you then!


	4. Chapter 4: Paint Wars

Chapter Four: Paint Wars

Gajeel

Gajeel grunted as he added another boot print to the multitude already marking his door. Said wooden device swung open obediently for him and he stepped inside. The horrendous pink fluffy thing was still taking up residence on his couch, along with another bundle of fabric that he recognized as Levy's hoodie. He gathered up the pink blanket in his arms and stuffed it in his closet again. He remembered that he'd offered it to Levy for her to keep, but there was no way he'd be caught dead touching that thing outside his house. He'd prefer not to have it inside his house, either. He made his way back to the couch and picked up Levy's hoodie. The iron dragonslayer neatly folded the hoodie—yes he could fold neatly—and walked back towards the still open door. He tucked the bundle under his arm and pulled the door shut before striding down the road that led to the guild.  
After a short walk, Gajeel got to Fairy Tail and peeked inside, but Levy wasn't there. He decided she must be at her house and he turned around.  
After twenty or so more minutes of walking, the shrimp's place finally came into view. He could see her standing just outside her door. Gajeel had no idea why, she just seemed to be standing there and waving at the door with something in her hand. Why would she wave at the door while hold a paintbrush? Oh. A paintbrush. She was painting the door. Gajeel continued walking towards her. When he got close enough that she might possibly hear him, he placed the jacket down and tried to muffle his heavy footsteps to see how close he could get. Unfortunately it seemed that Levy did hear him.  
She turned as Gajeel opened his mouth to greet her but he never got the words out. He nearly keeled over laughing as he saw that she was covered in paint. Well her hands were. And her nose and cheeks had lines of paint on them, making it look like she was trying to impersonate a small furry creature.  
"What?" Levy pouted, apparently not knowing about the paint on her face.  
"One bunny girl is enough." Gajeel managed to calm his laughing, but a grin was still spread across his face.  
Levy looked very confused. "What do you mean?"  
"Go look at your reflection."  
The solid-script mage walked over to a window to examine herself. When she saw her own face, she blushed, the red of her cheeks contrasting with the midnight blue smudged across them.  
Gajeel noticed how tidy her back was compared to her front. Suddenly, a wonderfully awful idea came to him. Dipping both hands in the paint tin, Gajeel snuck up behind her and grabbed her butt, leaving two very nice hand prints. It really wasn't the smartest of moves, but at least he could cross one thing off of his bucket list.  
Levy let out a shriek and turned around. Gajeel actually _did_ keel over laughing this time. So worth it.

Levy

Levy could tell that her cheeks were bright red. She picked up her discarded paintbrush and, wielding it like a sword, slashed a line of blue across Gajeel's chest.  
The dragonslayer laboriously stopped laughing, looked up at her, and said (in what could only be described as a playful growl), "Oh, it's on!" He dipped his fingers in the tin again and flicked the blue paint at her.  
By now, Levy was only pretending to be angry: made obvious by the fact that she was trying (and failing) to keep a smile from her lips. She ran the paintbrush over two of her fingers and leaped at Gajeel, aiming to make football streaks under his eye. The dragonslayer didn't dodge her attack, rather, he lunged into her attack, wrapping his arms around her and making another two hand prints, this time on her back.  
Levy took the paint that was on her hands and smeared it on the back of Gajeel's neck. Gajeel set her back down and scooped up a handful of paint. Artlessly, he flung it at Levy, splattering it across her already messy front.  
Dipping her hands in the paint, Levy curled her hand into a fist, punching Gajeel in the chest. She knew it wasn't hard enough to hurt him, just enough to leave a fist print on his shirt. The iron dragonslayer grinned and ruffled her hair with one of his paint-covered hands. Levy grimaced thinking about how hard it would be to wash out.  
As revenge, the small girl took the paintbrush and ran a streak of blue down Gajeel's long hair.

Gajeel

Now he'd really have to take a shower. Gajeel looked down at the paint tin. There was barely any paint left in it. Just as he was reaching to dip his hands in once more, the shrimp grabbed the tin and dumped it over his head. Gajeel felt the trickle of paint down his head and into his face. There was only one thing to do.  
Shaking his head like a dog, Gajeel managed to splatter Levy with more paint, giving him the last hand in the paint war. He grinned as Levy spat paint drops out of her mouth.  
"Anyways," Levy said, "Did you come here for a reason or did you just decide you were lonely?" She stuck her tongue out as she smiled at him.  
"Oh right," Gajeel remembered at her prompting, "You left your hoodie at my place so I brought it here." He pointed to the pile of fabric he had left (luckily at a safe distance from the paint war) on the ground.  
"Thanks!" She replied, and walked over to the hoodie then paused, looking at her hands. She seemed confused as to how to pick the hoodie up. Right, she had paint all over herself. She probably didn't want to get the jacket all blue.  
"Well I can't get it right now," The girl laughed, "I think I'll go rinse off. You can use the guest shower if you want."  
Gajeel weighed his options. He could either go back home looking like a blue slime monster, or he could wash the paint off and then spend more time with Levy. The latter option seemed much more inviting.

* * *

A/N: Over the past few days I have been religiously checking the view count for this story, slowly watching it go up and up. Every new view means a lot to me and I want to thank you all for reading! Our next update is Friday with Chapter 5: Stories.  
Until next time,  
-Kat and Kat.


	5. Chapter 5: Stories

Chapter Five: Stories

Gajeel

Levy was reading again. Gajeel didn't understand why she was so pulled towards books. Seriously, they were just paper with some words on them. How could they possibly be entertaining?  
Gajeel watched as Levy turned yet another page. He was starting to get fed up with this. Here they were, sitting together, and she was completely ignoring him. A thought came across Gajeel's mind, but he squashed it immediately. He _wasn't_ jealous of a damn book.

Levy turned the page again and Gajeel's eye twitched. Annoyed, he grabbed the book and snatched it out of the solid-script mage's hands.  
"Wha—hey!" Levy protested. She reached for the book Gajeel was holding above her head but it was too far out of reach. Gajeel tauntingly moved the book farther away.  
Levy was still reaching for the book, but it was hopeless from the spot she was sitting in. "Give it back?" She pouted.  
"Nope," Gajeel responded with a sharp-toothed grin. Finally he was getting some attention. Suddenly, the shrimp crawled over half of his lap, still reaching for the book. The surprised Gajeel stretched the book farther away. As he did so, Levy slipped, falling all the way across his lap.  
The dragonslayer felt his face heat up at the same time he felt Levy's chest pressed against one of his legs. The small girl let out an even smaller "Ow" and pushed herself up.  
"You okay, shrimp?" Gajeel asked, hoping she wouldn't notice the pink on his cheeks. Levy looked up nodding.  
"Yeah I'm fine." She said, then made a swipe for the book, her fingertips brushing the front cover. Noticing he was slacking off, Gajeel moved the book farther out of her reach.  
Levy straightened up and then, with a determined jump, she scrambled her way across the rest of Gajeel's lap and snatched at the book. Gajeel tried to keep a hold on both the book and his composure at the same time but he inevitably failed at both matters.  
With a tight hold on her newly regained book, Levy fell back into Gajeel's lap. Gajeel watched as Levy looked up at him and obviously tried to suppress a laugh, failing almost as badly as he had with his composure. Gajeel feared the two might be related.  
"What's so funny?" He scoffed, waiting for his fears to be confirmed. And they were.  
"You're blushing." Levy said.  
"I am not!" Gajeel lied, too defensively to even come close to pulling it off.  
Levy poked his cheek, "Well you're not sunburnt, so unless you have a fever there's no other explanation"  
Gajeel swatted her hand away and murmured, "I don't get embarrassed."

"Mhm." Levy started to move off Gajeel's lap, but he wrapped his arms around her, trapping her there.

"Where d'you think you're going?" Gajeel asked, his usual grin returning.  
"Nowhere?" Levy asked, giving Gajeel a questioning look. He nodded in agreement.  
"Damn right."  
Levy didn't protest. Rather, she leaned against Gajeel and opened her book again. This caused Gajeel's eye to twitch. _Again?_ He thought. But he didn't snatch the book away like before. This time, he looked over Levy's shoulder, trying to decipher the tiny text filled with strange wording. He didn't read much. Certainly not more than needed in daily life, much less finish a chapter book.  
The small blue haired girl spoke up without turning her head, as if she could see Gajeel trying to read the page.  
"It's no use starting from there, you've missed a lot of important bits." She started flipping back to the front of the book.  
"I ain't readin' all that!" Gajeel protested.  
Levy giggled, "Okay then, I will. It's a good story—I think you'll enjoy it."  
Gajeel muttered a few complaints under his breath but was shushed by Levy as she started reading aloud.  
"Long ago in a distant land, the ideas and morals of people were vastly different than what you may find now. The people of this land were punished greatly for anything remotely dissatisfying. The outcast of this story is proof of such.  
"This outcast had done bad things and had been exiled from the magical land in which he had lived. Shunned, he was forced to abandon his home and find his way in the badlands surrounding the magical village, never to step foot in it again. For years he lived a life of solitude, and soon he became accustomed to the loneliness.  
"During the same years the outcast lived on his own, a small boy was raised in the village. This boy was pure, untouched by the prejudices of society. Upon a walk, the boy encountered the outcast. The boy questioned him, wondering why the man was so dirty and why he was on the outskirts of town. Not knowing how long he had been craving human interaction, the outcast answered all of the boy's questions, though careful to not tell he had been exiled, as to not lose the trust of the first person in years who did not seem to despise him.  
"The boy had no reason to have mistrust, not knowing of the outcast's past deeds, and easily befriended him. The two spent many an hour together, and only once it was dark did the boy invite the outcast back into the town. The outcast sadly had to decline the offer, making an excuse but promising to meet the boy the next day. And thus they spent their days, growing close as father and son. Day after day the boy invited the outcast into town and day after day the outcast declined.  
"One morning, a month after their first meeting, the boy did not appear to the outcast. Alarmed, the outcast considered going into the village to search for the boy. After several hours of lonely consideration, the outcast grew uneasy enough to venture back into the place he had not stepped foot in for years.  
"Upon searching, the outcast found the boy chained up in the middle of the town. The people had found out about his acquaintanceship with the outcast and had feared that the boy would become as bad as the outcast had been. The frightened villagers summoned their magic powers in an attempt to end the boy's life, but before the magic could touch him, the outcast stepped in front of the boy. The magical power of all the village pierced through the already weakened outcast as he protected the boy.  
"The outcast knew he could never be happy if he didn't come clean to the boy, so he told him. He told him about his past and all the things he had done wrong and he apologized. At first the boy was appalled, but then he realized: the man in the outcast's story was not the same as the man the boy knew. The boy forgave him and the outcast felt a weight lift off his chest that had been there since he had committed those crimes those many years ago. But suddenly the outcast collapsed. The boy cried, screaming for someone to help the outcast, telling the person that he was not a bad person any longer. The people didn't believe this, and because of that, they were too scared to help the outcast. He died there, the entire world still believing he was evil, but for that one, seemingly insignificant small child who had made the outcast so happy."  
Gajeel saw Levy look up as she finished reading. He was astounded by the story. He didn't know what to think. It sounded so much like his own story. Gajeel was tough enough not to cry at the sad part, but he did feel more empathy than he thought was possible for a fictional character.  
"So," said Levy, breaking through his thoughts, "Did you like it?"  
"That was... pretty cool," Gajeel agreed. It was all he could to not to agree enthusiastically with her.  
Levy grinned, "I knew you'd like it!"  
"Hey, shrimp?" The iron dragonslayer asked, looking away, "D'you... think you could read another story?" A faint pink had tinged his cheeks again.  
Levy smiled, "Of course." Happily, Levy picked up another book. They sat there reading for long after the sun had gone down.

* * *

A/N: Hello all! Thanks for reading! I decided to make this entire chapter from Gajeel's point of view. I didn't think Levy's would bring much to this chapter. Anyway, I hope you guys like it! Our next update is Monday with Chapter 6 (we have yet to decide what it's about so I can't give a chapter name yet). Until then, see you!


	6. Chapter 6: Absence

Chapter Six: Absence

Levy

Levy was sitting in the guild, looking around curiously. Gajeel was in his corner with a surrounding aura that warned no one to come near. Natsu was sitting at a table, his arm around Lucy who was having a conversation with Erza and Gray. Cana was passed out at the bar and Mira was in her usual place behind it. There were a few other guild members scattered around the guild hall but there was an obvious absence of the usual people. Where were Wakaba, Juvia, Evergreen, Macao, and Warren, along with the several others missing?  
The blue-haired mage rose and walked to the bar where Mira was resting. Upon her approach, the barmaid looked up.  
"Oh, hi Levy!" She greeted, "How are you?"  
"Hi Mira." Levy said, "I'm okay, but have you noticed that there are less people here than usual?" Even as she was looking around again, the guild seemed... empty.  
Mira nodded. "A lot of people are in the infirmary in the back!" she said with cheerfulness that probably wasn't warranted by the occasion. "Wendy said something about attacks, or poison, or something like that."

"Were they accidents? Or..." Levy's voice trailed off as she thought about the incident with Gajeel and the poison knife.  
Mira shook her head. "I don't know, you can go ask Wendy about it, though."  
Levy looked around for Wendy. "Is she in the infirmary with the injured members?"

"She should be," The barmaid replied.

"Okay, thank you" Levy stood and started toward the infirmary.

Gajeel

Gajeel looked up as he saw a flash of blue just below eye level. The shrimp looked worried for some reason, which intrigued Gajeel. She looked at him, motioning for him to follow her. Gajeel stood and walked over to her, curious.

Levy

Levy walked to the infirmary, the iron dragonslayer in tow. Knocking on the door to announce herself, Levy waited for someone to open it.  
The door slipped open partially, a small, blue-haired girl standing behind it. Wendy's normally very neat pigtails were quite messy and she had dark shadows under her eyes.  
"Hi Levy," She greeted, and she sounded exhausted. Carla's voice rang from within the room but she was too far to hear distinct words through the half opened door. Wendy obviously heard though because she glanced back and nodded.  
At the sight of the disheveled Wendy, Levy grew even more concerned. "Wendy, what's up? I heard that some guild members were poisoned."  
Suddenly, Gajeel butted in, "Wait, what?!" He looked between Levy and Wendy, his gaze questioning them both. Levy gave him an apologetic glance for accidentally forgetting to tell Gajeel what was going on.  
"It's more like a fourth of our best mages," Wendy said, ignoring Gajeel, "Porlyusica is helping, I think she has someone with her."  
"Do you know what caused them to be injured?" Levy asked.  
Wendy shook her head and said, "They all seem pretty similar to Gajeel's injury when I helped you two out earlier. Oh!" She seemed to have only now realized that Gajeel was present and she looked at him and Levy in confusion.  
"That's what I was thinking." Levy said.  
Gajeel butted in hastily, "Wait just a second why am I being dragged into this without an explanation?"

Levy looked at him for a moment then teased, "What if I just like being with you?"  
"Then you're crazy." Gajeel grinned. Wendy seemed to pick up on the good-natured 'argument' and she smiled at the two of them.  
Levy shook her head and voiced, "The way Mira described it, these people's injuries were similar to yours. I thought your information might be useful."  
Gajeel's grin straightened out as he became more serious, "All I know is the knife I was holding cut me and then I couldn't move."  
The two blue-haired girls exchanged looks and Levy asked, "Is there any way we can help, Wendy?"  
The small sky dragonslayer shook her head, "I don't think so. The poison seems to be working quicker and it's harder to get it out of their systems. It's wearing everyone down, so we've had to resort to just removing enough for them not to die, and letting them get rid of the rest on their own. Or else the few healers we have will get too worn out and we wouldn't be able to save them."  
"Okay," Levy replied, her eyebrows scrunched in a look of concern, "Well if there's anything we can do don't hesitate to ask." She turned to walk back to the guild hall and Wendy closed the door.

Deep in thought, Levy voiced what her brain was processing, "These can't be coincidences. The injuries are all to similar."  
Levy could feel Gajeel's red eyes locked on her, though she didn't look at him.  
"What does it mean?" the iron dragonslayer asked.  
"It means," Levy said, grimly, "That someone is trying to kill off Fairy Tail."

* * *

A/N: Hello everyone! Thank you for reading! For a while I had been wanting a chapter that tied in chapter two with the rest of the story (it was a bit random), so here we are! This chapter was considerably shorter than the others since we didn't have a plan for it and both Kat and I are really busy at the moment but the major plot development makes up for it (or at least Kat says so). The views have been skyrocketing and every review is a high point in my day. Thank you so much!


	7. Chapter 7: Strength

Chapter Seven: Strength

"Someone is trying to kill off Fairy Tail."

Levy

Levy McGarden watched as Gajeel narrowed his eyes in response to her statement. The anger was apparent in his voice as he replied, and she could only be glad it was directed at someone else instead of her.  
"They obviously don't know who they're messin' with," he said. She felt the corners of her mouth quirk upwards in a smile.  
"On the contrary," Levy corrected, "I think they know very well who they're dealing with. It would explain why they've chosen something discreet and they are making a huge effort not to be caught. I think they're trying to get away with it without any consequences."  
Gajeel balled his hands into fists and growled something under his breath. She caught wind of a few obscenities that she figured he hadn't bothered to censor.  
"But we'll find them!" Levy assured, "They won't get away with this."  
"No way in hell will they walk away unscathed," the iron dragonslayer said and raised his fist. It was already glossing over with a metallic sheen. Levy watched in admiration, though she tried to keep that unnoticeable.

Gajeel

With an animal growl, Gajeel Redfox turned his fist completely to iron and turned to face the little bookworm at his side.  
"Lets go find them," he said with a steely gaze.  
"Wh-just us? Shouldn't we tell the others?" She sounded surprised, and Gajeel wondered why. Of course just them, he wanted dibs on punching the enemy's face in. There wasn't really anyone he'd need to notify of his absence either, nobody really cared.  
"You can go tell your bodyguards and the rest of the guild where you'll be if you want," Gajeel replied, referring to Jet and Droy with the 'bodyguards' jab.  
Levy completely ignored this and spoke, "We really should, but perhaps we can do some of our own investigating first."  
"You do the investigatin', I'll do the punching," Gajeel said with a somewhat morbid grin. Levy giggled.  
"So uh... where to now?" Gajeel asked.  
"Follow me." The short girl said, speeding up her stride.

Levy

She had to be strong. Her friends were being hurt and she had to be strong. Levy focused on walking the well known path to the library.  
She stopped walking.  
Gajeel gave her a questioning look, "Why'd ya stop. Shrimp?"  
"I think we should go back to the guild. I had a thought and I need to verify if it's true."  
The dragonslayer gave a short nod and about-faced as the small girl turned around and headed back.

When the two got back to the guild, Levy first looked around the guild hall. Lucy wasn't there. Levy ran to the infirmary and knocked on the door. This time, instead of Wendy answering, a small white cat opened the door.  
"You're back, Levy?" Carla asked.  
Levy nodded, "May we come in?" Carla opened the door wider, enough for both Levy and Gajeel to enter. The latter followed the former in as she peered around at the unconscious people. As Levy looked around, she let out a gasp. Could it be that in the short time she had left the guild Gray had been poisoned? It must be, because he was lying on a bed and was just as comatose as the other patients.  
Gajeel gave a laugh, tapping Levy on the shoulder and pointing to the bed beside Gray. Levy glanced over at it and saw Juvia. Well, Levy thought, she would be happy when she woke up. Lucy wasn't here either. She must be at her house.  
"Carla," Levy started, but was immediately shushed by the addressed. Carla pointed to a side table where a girl with long blue pigtails was napping.  
"She's so tired. I promised I would wake her up if a new victim came in, but I don't know if I should. She's so weak..." Carla cast a loving glance over the sleeping Wendy.  
Levy nodded and began again in a whisper, "Carla, how come these people are unconscious? When Wendy healed Gajeel he was fine in a couple hours."  
"That's because Wendy put her all into reviving Gajeel. Now she's healing each person just enough so their bodies can fight off the rest of the poison. This way she's able to heal more people." The exceed answered.  
Levy looked around sadly. So many people...  
Gajeel cut into her thoughts asking, "Oi, cat, you noticed a pattern in the victims?"  
Carla, who didn't approve of being addressed as 'cat' gave a "hmph" before answering, "Yes, most of the people poisoned have been some of Fairy Tail's strongest mages."  
Levy exchanged a glace with Gajeel. Of course they had figured this out, too.  
"Thank you, Carla." Levy said, "We'll leave now."  
The exceed nodded and followed them to the door, closing it behind them.

Levy didn't look at Gajeel as they walked back out of the guild. The gravity of the situation was just now taking effect, but Levy was trying to power through it. She had to be strong.  
Levy kept walking. She had to be strong.  
She had to be strong.  
She _couldn't_ be strong.  
Levy stopped walking. She heard Gajeel ask in an annoyed voice what she forgot this time, but she didn't move. Her eyes stayed focused on the ground as they began to tear up.

Gajeel

When Levy stopped, Gajeel had gotten ready to turn back towards the guild.  
"What is it _this_ time?" He asked, irked, but grew worried as the small girl didn't move. She didn't even look up. Then suddenly she sprinted towards Gajeel, the streak of blue the only notice he got before being crashed into. He felt her small arms wrap around him and he noticed that automatically—whether from the impact or the fact that it was her—his arms had wrapped around her, too.  
Gajeel felt something warm and wet drip onto his front and he held Levy tighter. He didn't bother asking what was wrong; it was obvious, even to him.  
"Don't go home." Gajeel heard a small voice from somewhere around his stomach region.  
"W-what?" He asked, utterly confused at Levy's words.  
"You found that knife at my house, right?" It was amazing that Levy's words were still audible, since she had her face buried into Gajeel's front.  
"Yeah, why..?" Gajeel asked, then it hit him: the knife was at Levy's house because it was meant for _her_ , not him. It was a kitchen knife so even if she hadn't cut herself she still would have ingested the poison. And if Gajeel could assume that he was one of Fairy Tail's strongest,—and damn right he could—there was something waiting for him at his house. "Oh."  
Levy hugged him tighter and Gajeel looked at her. She was so small.  
He had an idea. In normal circumstances he wouldn't have done this, as she would probably have objected, but Gajeel thought that in this circumstance, Levy might not. Removing his hands from around Levy, he left one at her back and slipped the other behind her knees. The iron dragonslayer then picked her up, bridal style.  
Gajeel heard a gasp but no objections followed. Instead, the shrimp clung to him, curling up against his chest.  
"How about we go to your place then?" Gajeel asked.  
Levy nodded and Gajeel started walking towards her house.

* * *

A/N: Hello everyone! Thank you so much for reading! If you missed our notice from yesterday (we deleted it once we put this chapter up), we've changed our update schedule to only Mondays and Fridays. Feel free to favourite, follow, and review! Our next update is Monday with Chapter 8: Ideas and Answers. Until then, さよなら!

* * *

A/N: hi again. Sorry about missing the last two updates. With how busy I've been what with school and sports and theater and everything else, I've decided this story will go on hiatus for a while. It will be updated on a Friday (it could be next Friday or the week after that and so on) and all following updates will also be on Fridays. We're working on another story, this time a Soul Eater fanfic! If you're interested be sure to keep an eye out.


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